Improvement in operating guns in turrets



y .3 Sheets- Sheet 1. J. B. EADS.

Monitor Turrets.

Patented Feb. 7, 1865.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. B. EADS.

Monitor Turets.

NO. 46,222. u Patented Feb. 7, 1865.

l l @a N. PETERS, PHOTD-LIYHOGRPHE C.

3 sheets-Sheet.

J, B. EADS.

Monitor Turrets.

NQ 46,222. Patented Feb, 7, 1.8654

N. PErERs.`FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JAMES E. EADS, or sfr. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN OPERATING GUNS IN TURRETS.

Specification forming part ofLetters Patent No. 116,222, dated February 7, 15465.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES B. EADS, of St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Operating Turrets and Ordnance 5 and ldohereby declare that the following is afull, clear,and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure l is a plan of a part ot' the interior of a turret exposing the top of the bed A of the structure, the top A and the revolving platform J being removed, and the rim U being broken away to show the pinion G of the vertical shaft H, by which the turret is rotated. Fig. 2 is an elevation in section of the turret taken ou the line l l of Fig. 1, the parts renroved and not shown in that figure being in place here. Fig. 3 is a plan of the revolving platform J inverted; Fig. 4, a sectional elevation of the turret taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l 5 and Fig. is a plan of the turret with its top A3 removed, exposing the revolving platform J, the gear-wheels beneath being seen in dotted outline, and part of the side A of the turret and of the rim U being also broken away to show the pinion G aud the gear G upon the periphery of the lower part of the turret. This iigure is drawn to a reduced scale.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

The parts shown in the drawings are only those that are necessary to illustrate my invention.

The tower .A revolves upon the bed A2, their points oli' contact being numerous friction-rolls i set within a groove in thelowcr face of the circumference of the turret. 4A gear, G, is formed upon the periphery ofthe base ofthe turret which meshesinto a pinion, G, of a vertical shaft, H, stepped in a bearing, h. This shaft carries a pulley, g, which is driven by a belt or other mechanical means from some driving-power not shown. The bed A2 has four or more friction-rolls, l, set in its face for thepurpose of sustaining the rotating-gun platform, which revolves upon them.

1t has also circular grooves 3 at 5 cut upon itsA face to make room for the free passage ofthe steam-pipe l) and the pinion a, and the other parts that are attached to the lower face of the gun-plattbrm J. Hatchways 2, eight in number, in the bed here represented, are cut through it, coinciding, as the platform rotates with hatchways cut through it. A anged collar, J, with teeth cut upon its inner periphery, is secured to the lower face ot' the platform J by its liange J2. Pinions d, two in number, on the top ot' the vertical shafts D2, mesh with the teeth on the collar J at points opposite to each other for the purpose of rotating the platform J. These vertical shafts are properly stepped in bearin gs upon the ships floor or other structure, and are driven by means of geauwheels D', secured upon thern,which take into a driving gearwheel, D,at opposite, points of its circum ference. The gear D runs loosely upon a hollow vertical shaft, B, stepped in a perforated bearing, B through which and the shaft B runs a steampipe, l), as shown in Fig. 2. The shaft B is driven through a crank, a., of a short shaft and pinion, F, which engages the large gear E on shaft B. The upper half, L3, of a conical friction box clutch is cast upon the lower face ot' gear D. The lower half, L2, of the clutch slides upon the shaft B in a guiding-groove in a way well known to machinists, being moved up and down the shaft by the fork LJ of the lever L, which is supported 011 a standard, L. The outer end of the lever embraces the screwrod P, which is moved up and down in the boss N by turning the milled screw-head N. Then the lever is in the position shown in red, Fig. 4, the clutch is disengaged, and the gears D D D', pinions d, and platform J remain stationary, while the shaft B carries round the gears t) andff. The gearsff are each mounted upon a short shaft, suspended vertically in hanging bearings c on the lower face of the gun-platform. The upper ends of these short shafts have each abevelpinion, c, which engages with ruiter-wheels 7a, set on a sliding shaft, Y, secured to the lower face ofthe platform J by meansof brackets O and m.. This shaft lies close to the platform, passing through a slot in the flange J2 and collar J, and its outer end has a screw-thread on it to receive a grooved nut, which receives in its groove the finger of a lever, P', pivoted tothe platform, and whose handle is made to protrude through a slot cut through the platform, so as to be operated by the gunner from above.

A pinion, n, secured to this sliding shaft so that the latter can move endwise through it, protrudes through a slot in the platform sufiiciently to enable its teeth to engage with the teeth of a rack, n, secured across the bottom of a radial plate, M, which illustrates the position and oflice of a gun-carriage, and which is coupled to another plate, M, of like t'orm. This shaft Y may extend beyond the rack n and be made to transmit power to operate the guns on the plate M M by toothed gearing and a shaft through the boss or joint M, as explained in my application tiled, now pending. They are seen in dotted outline, Fig. 3, in two positions, and in plan view in Fig. 5. One ot' them is also seen in section in Fig. 4. They are strapped together a-s seen in these figures, so that they both move in obedience to the pinion n. They move freely about bosses M', which serve also as collars for steam branch pipes or shafts, or other means of transmitting power through the platform J at these points in order to work the guns, as illustrated in an application for a patent now pending by the inventor for improvements for operating heavy ordnance, tiled May 28, 1864, and also in Patent No. 41,611.

The lever Il is a spring-lever moving horizontally around a pivot, as shown in Fig. 3, with a tooth at its end which articulates with one of several grooves swaged or otherwise made on the under side of the platform, in order to hold the lever, and through it the sliding shaft, in the desired position to hold both ofthe miter-wheels k free from the bevel-gear e, or to hold either in engagement with it. A slot is cut through the platform, as shown in Fig. 3, to permit the movement of the lever and its handle to their different positions.

The revolution of the pinion G on shaft H causes the tower to rotate independently of the platform J. The revolution of the gear l), which takes place when the clutch Lz L3 is engaged,causes the platform J to rotate through the gearing D', d, and J.

The carriages of the guns are trained to any desired angle by means of the gear-wheels G and F, and the bevel-gears c, which engage with the lniter-wheels la for the purpose of driving the sliding shaft that carries the pinion a, which meshes with the rack af, formed on the under side of one of the pair of carriages M, which rack is shown in dotted outline, Fig. 3. Thus each of these movementsto wit, those of the, tower, of the platform, and of the carriages-is wholly independent of the other.

As many carriages and pairs of carriages are provided as can be carried and worked upon the platform J. I have shown but one pair, and only one sliding shaft and its appurtenances. Another sliding shaft and its accompanying devices are to be placed so as to operate with the bevel-gear e on the opposite side of the shaft B, and as many more of these devices can be supplied as can be used.

The steam-pipe b passes up through the center of the shaft B, through the collar (shown in Fig. 2) upon the lower face of tle platform J, and which collar receives the upper end of the shaft, at which point it connects with the horizontal pipes, which are led along the lower side of platform J, passing through slots cut in the iianged collar J J 2, and thence passing to the bosses or journals, about which the gun-carriages revolve. The vertical part of this steam-pipe may rotate with the platform by means of a simple central steam-pipe joint below the step of the shaft, which is not shown, because well understood by all persons skilled in steam machinery, and this part of the pipe may be surrounded by a second one of larger size forming an annular passage between the two for the exhaust-steam to be conveyed through the central shaft from the platform to the condenser. The manner of making the joints on these steam-pipes to accomplish this conveyance of the steam, water, air, or other elcmeut used to work the guns and carriages is so well understood by those skilled in such y work as to require no drawings or explanations to illustrate it. But to those less skilled I would refer to the descriptions given in my patents granted for improvements in rotating turrets and for handling heavy ordnance, dated, respectively, May 28, 1864 5 and also to descriptions contained in an application' for similar improvements now pendin g, tiled in the Patent Office on the 28th day of May. 1864.

The shaft Y, instead of sliding,may be fixed and have sliding clutches on it to actuate the pinions upon it at pleasure, in which case the pinions would not be keyed to the shaft, but would turn with it only when they aie in contact with the clutches which slide on the shaft, and would be made by a groove and feather to rotate with it in a manner well known to machinists.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Iletters Patentl. Mounting a gun or guns upon a rotating platform arranged to bring the muzzles ofthe guns` to different ports in the turret or de' fense, within which it rotates when the power which operates the guns is communicated through devices acting concentrically with the axis of rotation of said plat-form.

2. Mounting guns on a rotating platform which is arranged to rotate with a turret when the power to operate the guns on said platform is conveyed to them through mechanical devices acting concentrica-lly with the axis of said platforms rotation.

JAS. B. EADS. Witnesses:

EDWARD H. KNIGHT, OCTAVIUs KNIGHT. 

